


Let's Try Again, Brother Mine (or Remus Knows Best)

by the_secret_wordsmith



Series: Wolfstar Comfort Mini-Fest September 2020 [10]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Harry Potter, Established Relationship, Established Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Fluff, Forgiveness, Happy Ending, Humor, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, James Potter & Lily Evans Potter Live, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, POV Sirius Black, Regulus Black Lives, Sirius Black Never Went to Azkaban, Swearing, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Walburga Black's A+ Parenting, can i do sarcasm in tags, that's sarcasm, to do with Sirius Black
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26700421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_secret_wordsmith/pseuds/the_secret_wordsmith
Summary: Sirius is living his best life after Voldemort was defeated by Dumbledore and Regulus Black a few years earlier. But then Walburga dies and it seems that not all his family is quite as ready to let him go. Will the Black brothers make amends as one Remus Lupin so clearly wants? Or will everything fall apart?[For day ten of @swottypotter 's Wolfstar Comfort Mini-Fest]
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Regulus Black & Remus Lupin, Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Sirius Black & Harry Potter, Sirius Black & James Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & James Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Wolfstar Comfort Mini-Fest September 2020 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931587
Comments: 8
Kudos: 169





	Let's Try Again, Brother Mine (or Remus Knows Best)

**Author's Note:**

> For Day Ten of swottypotter's Wolfstar Comfort Mini-Fest. The theme was "new beginnings".

Harry Potter's fourth birthday party was chaotic, to say the least. Sirius was supervising at the moment, as per Lily's instructions, and he was not doing a good job.

“No, Harry,” he said firmly, “You can't eat that.”

Harry stared up at his godfather with wide eyes as he continued to chew on the plastic tractor.

“Harry!” Sirius cried and tried to tug the toy from his mouth. Harry tugged back with unwarranted strength.

“Mine,” he blubbed.

Sirius shook his head. “Yes, but don't eat it!”

“Mine.”

“His.”

Sirius turned around from the tug of war he was playing with the four year old to see a red-headed boy with freckles toddling across the grass towards them. A Weasley of some sort, Sirius decided, and forced a smile.

“Yes, this toy _is_ his,” he said, tightly, “But he mustn't eat it or else he'll fucking choke.” Oh no. He'd already been told off twice for swearing in front of the kids.

“Sirius!”

He swore again and looked up to see Lily standing over him, hands on hips.

“I'm trying Lily, honest!”

“Try harder.” Her eyes flashed dangerously and she scooped Harry up in her arms, tugging the tractor gently and easily from his mouth as she walked away.

Sirius watched her head back inside, Harry waving at him from over her shoulder.

“Pads,” the boy called and Sirius waved back wearily. Harry stuck his tongue out, “Pads. _Mine_.”

“Bloody hell,” Sirius muttered.

“Bloody 'ell!”

Merlin's pants. Sirius turned to see the Weasley boy grinning up at him. “No, don't say that. That's a bad word. Don't -”

“Bloody 'ell, bloody 'ell!” The boy repeated, excited, and he spun away, toddling round the garden party, swearing happily.

“Teaching toddlers to swear, are we?”

The voice was soft and Sirius turned round to see Remus grinning at him, two plastic cups of lemonade in his hand from the drinks table by the fence.

“Moony, am I glad to see you,” Sirius huffed and took one of the proffered cups from his husband, “I think Lily wants to kill me.”

Remus shrugged and wrapped his free arm round Sirius's waist, “What's new?”

They stood sipping lemonade in the garden for a few more minutes, enjoying the afternoon sunshine, and Sirius wondered how they could come up with an excuse to get away early.

Remus was wearing a pastel green shirt and blue jeans which Sirius thought were just a smidge too tight to be entirely appropriate, and he was smiling softly round the garden as though it were the best place in the world.

And Sirius really wanted to push him up against the fence and snog his face off.

“What is it?” Remus asked, suddenly turning to look at him.

“Nothing,” Sirius replied, grinning. Remus blushed and looked away.

“You're terrible, Padfoot.”

Sirius wrapped his arm round Remus's waist and pulled him closer, “I am, aren't I?”

Remus snorted and glanced away. He must've seen something over by the house because then he frowned. “This can't be good.”

Sirius reluctantly pulled his gaze away from his husband's face to see what he was looking at. It was Lily, marching over to them with a strained expression. Sirius sighed. This couldn't be good.

“Look, Evans,” he said abruptly as she reached them, “I said I was sorry about swearing. I can't help it if kids repeat everything I say. That Weasley boy going about the garden saying bloody hell is hardly my fault!”

He felt more than heard Remus stifle a snigger from beside him, but Lily didn't look amused.

“Wait, what?” She shook her head, still frowning, “That's not what I'm...” She trailed off and bit her lip.

“What is it, Lily?” Remus asked, voice soft.

“A woman just arrived,” Lily replied, “She, er... she tracked you here, Sirius. She works for a wizarding law firm... er...”

Sirius frowned, “What is it?” He'd never had a lawyer before. He'd never needed one. He glanced over to Remus who just shrugged.

“You'd better come inside,” Lily said firmly, “I think it's serious.”

No one made the joke.

Sirius didn't like this one bit. It felt uncomfortable, like when the war ended and it turned out that Regulus had been the one helping Dumbledore take out Voldemort. It was unnerving.

He followed Lily back into the house, keeping a firm hold on Remus as he did. His husband squeezed his hand gently and Sirius found strength from it.

James was in the kitchen with Harry as they passed through.

“Pads, mine,” Harry gurgled and Sirius ruffled the boy's hair softly as he passed by. James clapped him on the shoulder.

“D'you want us to come through with you?” He asked and Sirius nodded.

“Yeah, think so,” he said and forced a short laugh, “This is weird.”

James smiled nervously back at him and Remus squeezed his hand again. Then they went through into the living room.

The woman was tall with rich-brown skin slightly paler than James's, and she was wearing long green robes that touched the floor. Her expression was almost unreadable as she watched them file in. She looked between Remus and Sirius, and frowned slightly.

“And which one of you is Mr Black?”

“That's me,” Sirius said, “What's this about?”

“PADS PADS PADS!” Harry yelled excitedly from James's arms. Sirius spun round to look at his godson who was pointing happily to the woman, “New.” The boy hiccuped and grinned at Sirius.

Sirius nodded, “Yeah, I've never met her before, either, Harry.”

“Here,” Lily said, taking Harry from James, “I'll get him back to his party.”

“Thank you, Lily,” Remus said and they watched as she left the room.

“Well?” Sirius said as the door clicked shut behind her. He turned back to the woman, “What's happened?”

The woman cleared her throat.“Yesterday at quarter past eight in the evening, Mrs Walburga Black died at the residence of number twelve Grimmauld Place.”

Sirius stared at the woman. He felt absolutely nothing. She cleared her throat and continued.

“Tomorrow at three in the afternoon, her last will and testament shall be read on the premises of number twelve Grimmauld Place. Your presence is required.”

“No.”

The word was easy to say and slipped out of his mouth without a second thought. Remus squeezed his hand tightly and leant in to his ear. “Sirius...”

“No.” He shook his head firmly, “I'm not going back there ever again.”

“Well you've got your answer,” James told the woman pleasantly, “Did you want anything to drink before you left?”

The woman sighed, “Look here, I don't make the rules. The Black family, like all noble and ancient - ”

“Bullshit,” Sirius hissed, “They don't deserve anything from me.”

The woman blinked, clearly shocked, and Remus stepped in.

“Listen, Ms – er...”

“Abbott.”

“Ms Abbott,” Remus said with a smile but Sirius wasn't bothering with niceties.

“You can go now, Ms Abbott,” he bit out, “I don't have time to pander to my dead mother's wishes. I'm glad she's dead.”

Ms Abbott frowned. “And what about your brother?”

_Regulus._ Sirius reached for Remus instinctively and his husband squeezed his hand gently.

They hadn't spoken since the end of the war when Regulus had tried to make amends, and Sirius had rejected him outright. The fact that he'd helped Dumbledore take down Voldemort didn't change anything, no way. He was still the boy who'd kept quiet when Walburga had been _dealing_ with Sirius

“My brother...”

“He is, er, your brother, right?” Ms Abbott pulled out file and flicked through it, “I have here that Mrs Black had two sons, Sirius and Regulus.” She glanced back up at him, “Regulus Black _is_ your brother, is he not, Mr Black?”

“Get out.”

“What?”

“GET OUT!” Sirius roared and Remus was instantly standing between him and the woman as James hurried over to her.

“Would you?” He asked her before pulling her by the arm and whisking her out of the room.

Sirius was trembling all over. He felt as though he were about to explode. Remus grabbed him either side of the head and shook slightly.

“Sirius, stop,” he cried, “Look at me!”

Sirius did this, his eyes searching his husband's face. Then he crumbled and Remus held him tightly as he sobbed.

“Er...”

The two of them looked up to see James had reappeared. He came over and wrapped his arms round them both, joining the hug. Sirius snorted and hugged back.

“So she's gone,” James said as they all pulled away, Sirius rubbing at his eyes, “And I told her not to bother contacting you again so... that's sorted.”

“I think you should go tomorrow, Sirius.” Remus's voice was quiet but certain. Sirius blinked and stared at his husband in horror.

“Moony, what the hell?” James said, “After all that Regulus did, or didn't do, more like. All those years when Walburga was... and he just stood by and said nothing and - ”

“He was a child too,” Remus said, cutting across James coldly. Sirius took a step away from Remus.

“He became a death eater.”

“And then he helped Dumbledore take out Voldemort.”

“The one good thing doesn't undo all the bad!” Sirius exclaimed and Remus folded his arms, eyes determined.

“Sirius, he's your brother. I remember how close you were, even when we were all at Hogwarts together: how you wanted to protect him, how you hated how your parents' bigotry was rubbing off on him.”

“He lapped it all up,” Sirius bit out, his heart actually hurting, hurting, from what Remus was saying.

“He was a child who didn't know better,” Remus retorted, “And he says he regrets it more than anything in the world now!”

There was a long silence after this announcement. Sirius could feel the blood pounding in his ears. His mouth was dry and his breathing felt ragged and irregular.

“How do you know that, Moony?”

Sirius was glad it was James who asked. He didn't think he'd have been able to. Remus didn't look sheepish, as he ought, or flustered, as he ought. He tilted his chin up and stared Sirius down.

“I've been writing to him.”

“I want a divorce.”

“Don't be ridiculous, Sirius,” Remus cried.

Sirius huffed, “I'm not. I'm going to call that lawyer and get her to arrange it all right now.”

“Oh, so you'll use the same firm as your mother used,” Remus bit out, face twisting nastily. Sirius wanted to hit him. How could he do this? How?!

“Fuck you, Lupin.”

And with that, he strode out of the room.

***

Five hours later and Sirius Black was standing in the square of Grimmauld Place, staring at the house he'd grown up in. It was evening but still light, the sun glimmering over the tops of the London roofs to the west.

Distantly he could hear the gentle roar of a main road, spotted with the occasional siren or loud shouting as already intoxicated clubbers set out for the night. It was very different to the sleepy village he and Remus lived in now, nestled between soft hills in south Wales, the only sounds on an evening like this being birdsong or cattle mooing in the near distance.

Sirius scowled up at the house. The house scowled back.

How could Remus have done this to him? How could he betray him like this? It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. It wasn't  _fair_ !

“Sirius.”

His heart stopped for a moment as the voice reverberated inside his head, familiar yet changed all at once. He turned around to face his brother.

“Regulus.”

“No longer calling me Reggie then?” The attempt at humour was bad and Sirius didn't laugh at it

“No.”

Sirius sniffed then scrutinised him. Regulus Black had always been on the skinny side. He had the proud Black cheekbones and sickly-pale skin just like Sirius, but he'd never been able to quite pull it off. Where Sirius looked noble, Regulus looked weak-chinned. Where Sirius's eyes pierced or penetrated, Regulus eyes merely knocked politely before asking to come in.

Sirius was handsome, and Regulus was not.

And as Sirius considered his brother before him now, he could see that though Regulus had filled out somewhat, no doubt grown fat on the Hogwarts feasts over the past few years, he was still too thin to be called good-looking.

“Sirius,” he said, voice softer, more considered than Sirius's own. Like Remus, Sirius thought, and hastily pushed the thought away.

“No,” he said, again, “I don't want to.”

“I'm not giving up on you, Sirius,” Regulus said, voice tense. “Not like...”

“I never gave up on you,” Sirius bit out, “That was my problem.”

“I helped take out Voldemort,” Regulus hissed, “I know, it was the least I could do, considering. But Sirius, come on! I was sixteen when they signed me up. I was still a child.”

Sirius shook his head, though he wasn't sure what about. “I don't care about that. I don't care that you were a death eater.” He laughed, but there was no humour in it, “I'm a selfish bastard Reggie, and I don't care that you joined an organisation that wanted to kill all muggle-borns and...” Sirius trailed off, horrified by himself, by this realisation.

It wasn't Regulus being a death eater that hurt Sirius so much. It was the other thing, the personal thing.

“When mother...” Regulus began and shook his head. Sirius raised his head to see that there were tears in his brother's grey eyes. “I didn't know what to do... Sirius! Please. I didn't know. I was scared. I was so scared.”

“Well I was bloody terrified too,” Sirius cried and was shocked to find that he was crying too, “I was scared, Reggie. I was so scared too.”

Regulus took a step closer, treading across the neatly trimmed grass of the square's centre to stand before Sirius, chin trembling and eyes weak. “We were just children, Sirius. We shouldn't have had to put up with that.”

Sirius sobbed. He hadn't physically been this close to his little brother in years, not since they were children. Even at Hogwarts in their later years, they'd always kept a distance, especially after Sirius ran away from home. He ran away from home. He left. He'd left.

“Reggie...”

“I know how you felt when Andy abandoned us,” Regulus whispered, “I know. I know because when you... and then I...”

“Reg,” Sirius muttered, feeling heartbroken and completely torn apart. He pulled his brother into a hug and the two Black brothers both fell apart.

“She left,” Regulus sobbed, “And then you left and then... then it was just me, and I was scared. I was so scared of our parents... of _her_.”

Sirius nodded and tightened his grip on his brother. “That bitch really fucked us up, didn't she?”

Regulus snorted but it wasn't really that funny. There was nothing funny about what they had been through as children, nothing funny at all.

“We can be better now,” Sirius whispered, tears still stinging his eyes, “We can, Reggie, we can. I mean,” and he pulled back so he could look at his little brother, “You already are.”

“And you too,” Regulus said, “You've always been better than... than them, than her.”

“I don't know,” Sirius said with a shrug, “I'm more like her than I care to think about.”

“You're not.” Regulus said firmly, “You have a similar temper, sure, but you're kind. You act out of love rather than hate or fear.”

Sirius chuckled, “You sound like Remus.”

Regulus looked down, blushing slightly and Sirius sighed, “I know the two of you've been writing.”

“He's been very kind,” Regulus said, voice soft, “He wants what's best for you.”

“Yeah,” Sirius said then swore, “And I've shown my gratitude by threatening to divorce him.”

Regulus snorted and Sirius narrowed his eyes at his little brother. “What?”

“That's such a you thing to do, Sirius,” he said, smirking, “You're so bloody self-destructive sometimes.”

“Says you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Regulus said with a wave of his hand, “I know, I know. Tell it to my therapist.”

An owl hooted in a tree nearby and the two brothers looked about. The sun was almost fully set now and it was a lot darker, stars starting to come out far above them, and the grim windows of twelve Grimmauld Place frowning down at them.

“Are you going to go tomorrow?” Sirius asked and Regulus cocked his head to one side, turning to look over at their childhood home. Then he shook his head.

“No. I mean, I was,” Regulus faltered then looked back to Sirius sheepishly, “But only to... see you, I guess.”

“Well that wouldn't have worked,” Sirius said with a sad snort, “There's no way in hell I'm going back into that house.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Regulus said, “Not now that I've got the only thing worth a damn from that house.” He looked over to his brother and smiled, “Kreacher.”

Sirius swore and pulled him into a headlock, “You bloody tosser.” Regulus snorted and elbowed him in the side, leaving Sirius winded.

“Alright, alright,” Regulus cried as he took a step back, hands raised, “You're more important than Kreacher!”

“I bloody better be!” Sirius exclaimed with a wink. Regulus grinned and shook his head, voice turning a little more serious.

“So now what?”

Sirius shrugged, “I guess we just go from here.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Wanna get a drink?”

“As long as it's from the most muggle pub imaginable,” Sirius said, “We can drink amongst muggles and raise a glass to mother's hideous memory.”

Regulus raised an eyebrow, “I think I know a place. But, er, don't you have something more important to do first.”

“Like what?”

Regulus stared at Sirius, “Your husband thinks you want to divorce him.”

“Oh fuck, you're right,” Sirius cried, “Come on!”

And he grabbed Regulus by the arm and disapparated with a loud crack, leaving the dusk-lit square firmly behind.

***

They appeared with another loud crack in the welsh countryside. Sirius let go of his brother's arm and started striding down the lane towards his and Remus's cottage. Regulus hurried to keep up.

“Er... Sirius,” he said, “I'm really glad you're planning on not divorcing Remus and everything, but, er... I really don't think I need to be here for this...”

“Course you do,” Sirius replied, “You're evidence.”

“Huh,” Regulus said, nodding from beside him, “I forgot that being a younger sibling is sometimes like this.”

“Oh stop complaining,” Sirius said as he swung open the gate and strode up the garden path to the front door, “Remus needs to know that he was right and you're a great way to prove that.”

“Right,” Regulus said, “But of course.”

Sirius ignored his brother's comment and banged open the front door, striding through the hall and into the living room where his husband was sitting in an armchair by the fire.

“Remus Lupin, I bloody love you,” he cried and fell to his knees on the carpet before him. Remus blinked and looked up, seeing Regulus standing awkwardly in the doorway before turning his attention back to Sirius on the carpet.

“So I was right, then?”

Regulus snorted but Sirius ignored his brother for the moment, focusing instead on Remus Lupin, genius extraordinaire that he was.

“You were.”

“So you're not going to divorce me then?”

“Not yet.” Remus's eyes narrowed and Sirius hastily coughed, “I mean, never, of course.”

Regulus, clearly unable to hold himself together, burst out laughing and Sirius scowled at him. Sure, they were making amends and everything, but now he was really beginning to remember the annoying parts of having a younger brother: like Regulus always finding great amusement in all the stupid things Sirius did.

“I think I'm really gonna love having Regulus back in our lives,” Remus said and Sirius turned back to see his husband was smirking. Actually smirking!

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.” Remus whispered and pulled Sirius up by the collar of his jacket to press a firm kiss to his cheek, “It's gonna be good.”

Sirius grinned. Remus was still wearing that pastel green shirt that looked so good on him and he was grinning up at him with a look in his eyes. Sirius cleared his throat then glanced over to Regulus.

“Ok, Reggie,” he said voice slightly hoarse, “I think we'll have to have those drinks another day, like tomorrow maybe?”

Regulus made a false retching noise, “You brought me here just to send me away when you want to snog your husband.”

Sirius shrugged and Remus hit him lightly on the shoulder. “Come on, Padfoot. We can all go for a drink. That'll be nice, won't it?” And he got to his feet and walked over to shake Regulus by the hand.

“It is good to see you, Regulus,” he said with a smile.

“And you, Remus.”

Sirius sighed but he wasn't really upset. He had his brother back in his life, he and Remus weren't going to get divorced, and life was pretty bloody awesome right now.

“I'll just go get a jacket,” Remus said and bounded up stairs.

“Yeah, me too,” Sirius added and clapped Regulus on the back before bounding up the stairs after Remus. Regulus sighed, dramatically, and called up after him.

“Take your time. I'll make myself comfy by the fire.”

Sirius snorted and flung himself into the bedroom to kiss Remus stupid. “You're amazing,” he said, voice low and Remus shrugged as he pulled on his jacket.

“I know.”

Sirius leant in and kissed him again, this time long and slow, his hand moving up the inside of that green shirt as Remus hummed contentedly into his mouth.

“I love you.”

“I know that too.”

Sirius chuckled against his lips, their warm breath mingling in the gap between them as he pressed their foreheads together.

“If you'd rather I just go...” Regulus called from downstairs and Remus snorted.

“We're coming!”

“Yeah, we're coming!” Sirius called and winked at Remus. Remus raised his eyebrows, pressed one last kiss against Sirius's lips then moved away.

“Come on, love.”

Sirius sighed, “Alright, alright. But only so I can toast my dead bigoted mother in a room full of muggles.”

Remus took him by the hand and squeezed tight, “As you wish.”

They headed back downstairs where Regulus was waiting for them, eyes alight with amusement. Sirius grinned at him and together the three of them headed out into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's the last fic for swottypotter's brilliant Wolfstar Mini-Fest on tumblr. You can read all the other fics I wrote here or on tumblr where you can find me @thesecretwordsmith. Thanks for reading xx


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